Lucas Bohn will perform “Lesson Plans to Late Night” at the Performing Arts Center at Kent State Tuscarawas on Friday, Aug. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Terry Brown

“I love when I tell a joke about my life and after the show somebody comes up to me and says, ‘We’ve been through that’ or ‘that’s happened to us,’” Lucas Bohn said. “Comedy is everywhere in life. I feel that I have a great way of finding the funny in everyday situations and making people laugh about it.”

A native of Virginia, Bohn attended Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina. After graduation Bohn began teaching fifth grade in Virginia by day and performing comedy by night and during the summer break.

Bohn’s students knew he was a comedian, and they always wanted him to tell them jokes and do impressions for them. “They would ask where I was performing and how the crowds were,” Bohn said. “It was a really exciting time in my life.”

Bohn said his final year teaching was a good one. “It’s a great feeling when you know you’re not returning to a job because you can just have fun,” Bohn said. “I mean what was the principal going to do, fire me? We did a lot of fun projects the last year I taught, and my students did fantastic on the state tests at the end of the year. It was a great way to leave my professional career."

In 2010 Bohn began to do comedy full time. “I knew that financially I was able to quit my day job and pursue my dream of being a full-time comedian, but I was scared,” Bohn said. “I was giving up a salary, health care and retirement. I talked it over with my wife, and she was so supportive. She said, ‘Go for it. You’ll only regret it later on in life if you don’t take this chance now.’ Listening to her advice was the best decision I’ve ever made, other than marrying her of course.”

Bohn got interested in comedy when he was very young. Using tapes he borrowed from the local library, he learned routines from the likes of Rodney Dangerfield and Henny Youngman, who were his favorites.

“When I was in the seventh grade, my grandparents took me on a cruise, and I entered a talent show. I told about 10 minutes of jokes, and it was a huge hit," Bohn said. “I loved the feeling of people laughing at me. It just felt right, like I was supposed to do something where I was in front of people.”

Bohn has performed with comedy icons like Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle and Jimmy Fallon. He was nominated Comedian of the Year by Campus Activities Magazine for 2013.

“It’s like the Oscars for college performers,” Bohn said. “Just to be nominated is a huge honor.”

Bohn also has done work with Comics on Duty and performed for the troops. “That was a very humbling and rewarding experience,” he said.

Bohn said confidence is the key to getting up in front of people. “Public speaking is the number-one phobia in America,” Bohn said. “Now take it a step further and try to be funny while talking to people you’ve never met. That’s pretty scary. I think a lot of people worry about looking silly in front of friends or family. I’ve never had that problem. I know 90 percent of the time I look like an idiot. You just have to be confident enough to laugh it off.”

Bohn will perform “Lesson Plans to Late Night” at the Performing Arts Center at Kent State Tuscarawas on Friday, Aug. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

“Lesson Plans to Late Night” is the story about Bohn’s transition from an elementary school teacher to a professional comedian.

“The show is hysterical because not only do I perform stand-up, but I also incorporate pictures from my journey," Bohn said. “Everything from student work, funny signs I see while touring, to pictures of my family are included in the presentation.”

The Performing Arts Center at Kent State Tuscarawas is located at 330 University Drive NE in New Philadelphia. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by calling 330-308-6400, going online to www.kent.edu/tusc/pac or in person at the theater box office.